eastempire is a panfandom pb-based alternate universe set in a semi-fictional modern day eastern coast of the United States, specifically New York City, Newark, and Washington DC. These three cities represent the three main aspects of the game for which the thrust of East Empire's larger story will depend: capitalism, crime, and government.

These three separate, but not always independent, regimes of American power are far-reaching, and spread as widely as the corners of the continent, sometimes even curling around the necks of countries most and least expected. Such powers of domination are encompassed in the game by the seedy underbelly of the mafia in Jersey to the floor of Congress in Washington as well as the sky-scraping towers of high finance in New York. Yet it is not only the Americans who hold American power. Russian spies, for instance, the KGB, as well as the Italian and Russian mafia all have their bases somewhere along the east coast. The game is an interplay of many powerful existences, functioning as one of these three classes of empires.

We welcome characters of all types from any fandom (game, movie, tv show, etc) and would love to see a variety of PBs. This game caters to all of the roleplayers out there who are curious about representing known characters and interacting them with others in a dramatic real-world-like setting. Being that this is heavily plot-based, the game will also encourage a great deal of out-of-character discussion.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which journal do I use to submit my application?You will submit your application using your potential character journal. This is why we ask for a "first entry" and a "contact/ooc post," because they will already be available once you have joined the game. Unfortunately, this does mean that you're going to create a journal regardless of whether or not you get accepted, and while we don't reject applications flagrantly, in the case that we do reject your application, you're more than welcome to use that journal to apply for other games.

Will my character have to come out of any specific timeline or be any specific age?No. This is an AU and you're free to take your character from any age or any point in development so long as the actual personality of the character remains in tact.

How much/little of the character's original canon do I need to consider for an Alternate Universe?It's up to your discretion. I know that's a little vague and frustrating, so I'll give you some examples. My opinion is that creativity and the exercise of novel ideas is a good thing, so giving your character an unexpected job or taking him/her out of the league of their usual environment is okay, but please do not suddenly make a generally happy-go-lucky person the most life-hating kid on earth.

How realistic is this game?The setting itself is pretty realistic, although the events will either be fictional or inspired by something in real life. What is played out will obviously be more dramatic, but we won't be doing flying saucers or magical powers.

How many characters may I have?We don't keep track of how many characters you have since we allow our members to keep some anonymity. But when taking up a new character, please keep activity requirements in mind and remember that playing against yourself isn't as fun and defeats the point of joining a game to interact with other people.

What kind of characters can I play? Can they have any occupation?We like to let you choose your character's occupation but please keep to the three classes (capitalism, government, crime) specified. This is to keep to the theme of the game, but if you have any questions about how your character fits into East Empire, please leave a dropbox note and we will figure out a way.

Can my character have multiple occupations?Yes. We expect that a lot of people are going to blend between two regions but - remember that people have their primary goals, and those stay intact even as they go into other careers. For example, a businessman may go into politics, but he most likely went into politics to promote the welfare of his business and keep it flourishing even under strain. Therefore, he's primarily a businessman first and foremost (capitalism), and politics is only the conduit through which he achieves his capitalist agenda. And so on the application, to avoid confusion and to help others identify the primary objective of your character, you would list capitalism, etc.

There's relatively little canon information on my character. Can I still play him/her, and how will my character application be judged?Yes. In the case when there's little canon information about a character, we want you to try your best to first fill in the essential missing gaps about the character out of what little could be implied from the small bits of canon. From there, just write their AU biography with careful attunement to the sense of the character there is. It's totally fine to make up a last name or a first name or both if they don't have either. When we read your application we'll just try to make sure you've captured the sort of spirit that the character best defines.

Does my character have to be a big-time high-end power player?Absolutely not! The fun in the game is also about the interaction of how people come together to work for or against someone as well. I can imagine a lot of fandom characters might end up working for a CEO or a mob boss or an intelligence agency. Besides, what's the fun if there are bosses without peons their beloved friends?

I can't pick out the perfect PB! Help!Don't worry. No one can find a PB who will look like an exact replica of your character. Sometimes, though very rarely, it's impossible to get even the slightest resemblance. In that case, just look for a PB who seemingly evokes the personality or dynamic of your character. If you're having trouble with where to begin your research, take a look at pb_updates and browse through the tags or try Hollow Art.

I'm applying for a character who's canonically close to a character already in the game. Since they already have a written and established history, what should I do with my own character's history?Well, your best option would be to contact the player or to write an entry to the storylines community thejunction expressing your interest in applying for your character in order to give the other player time to find out your intentions; that way you both can perhaps work something mutual out. If neither of those options really work, feel free to go ahead and apply for your character and write their history to your own liking.

If my character was male/female in canon, can I play them as a female/male in this alternate universe?The mods will generally say no, since genderbending is fairly unacceptable with a good number of players. If you feel greatly compelled to do so, please contact some of the players within your fandom for second opinions before applying. You may also ask for second opinions on the storyline community thejunction.

I'm a little new to roleplay and I'm not yet familiar with all of the terms and etiquette at IJ.We were all new and bright-eyed once. Just take a quick look at rp_tutorials. It's a pretty useful little comm loaded with a lot of useful information and things. Give it a good browse.

What is a "contact post" and how do I make one?It's quite simple. A contact post is just an entry in your journal that is for ooc (out of character) purposes only and allows people a separate option for notifying you if you can't be reached by aim or private messaging. These entries are usually clearly labeled (to let people know that they're indeed looking at a contact post) and are backdated to a future year so that they're always docked at the top of a journal.

What if I have other questions that aren't addressed here?Please don't hesitate to drop a comment at the drop box and the mods will get back to you as soon as possible.

Where's your advertising code?Right here! We would love to receive any help we can get in the advertising department!